Machine for casting straps to battery-plates.



E DISINGER, MACH'I'NE FOR CASTING STRAPS T0 BATTERY PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN-14' I914- RENEWED NOV- 7, I917;

1 ,274,0 1 6. Patnted July so, 191&

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

"32 211? (.166 c o f 0 l 1 (0 I f 0Q. WW4, 1' $44k;

E. DISINGER.

MACHINE FOR CASTING STRAPS T0 BATTERY PLATES.

APPLIQ'AIION FILED JAN. I4. 1914- RENEWED NOV. 7.1917.-

Patented July 30, 191$ 4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E. DISINGER.

MACHINE FOR CASTING STRAPS T0 BATTERY PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 14, 1914. RENEWED NOV. 7.1911.

1 ,274,0 1 6. Patented July 30, 1918.

4 SHEETSSHEET 3.

E, DISINGER.

MACHINE FOR CASTING STRAPS TO BATTERY PLATES.

APPLICATION FILED MN.14, 1914. RENEWED NOV. 7,19l1.

1,274,016. Patented July 30,1918. 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Joy, .5.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. I

ERNEST DISINGEB, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOE TO WILLARD STORAGE BATTERYCOMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

IACHIH E FOB CASTIKG STRAPS TO BATTERY-PLATES.

Application filed January 14, 1914, Serial lo. 8 113,088. RenewedNovember 7, 1917. Serial No. 200,844.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known %\at I, Eamzs'r Drsmonn, a citizen of the nited States,residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, haveinvented accrtain new and useful Improvement in Machines for CastinStraps to Battery-Plates, of which the fol owing is a full, clear, andexact description. 4

This invention relates to a machine for casting so-ca'iled straps togroups of storage batterv plates, and has for its chief object toprovide a machine wherein a group of battery plates can be quickly andefiectively connected by casting a connecting strap to lugs or terminalsof the plates.

Further, the invention aims to provide a castin machine composed ofparts so arrange and operated that the straps, terminal posts and otherdesired projections will be cast onto the plates, and wherein the platesare properly supported. alined and shifted into and out of themold.

The above and other objects are attained by my invention, which .may bebriefly summarized as consisting in certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations and arrangements of parts which will bedescribed in the specification and setforth in the appended claims.

In the drawings, wherein I have shown the preferred form of myinvention, Figure 1 is a side view of'the machine; Fig. 2 is atransverse section throu h the same along the line 22 of Fig. 5, withthe mold open; Fig. 3 is a similar view of a portion of the machine withthe mold closed and the magazine lowered; Fig. 4 is a sectional viewtaken through the machine at right angles to the section in Fig. 2, themagazine being omitted; Fig. 5 IS a tog? plan view with the magazineremoved; I ig. 6 is an enlarged transverse sectional view through themagazine; 7 is a transverse sectional view through the magazine andportion of the mold showing a modification; and Fig. 8 is a detail planview of the same; Fig. 9 is a view showing the finished product producedby the casting machine.

The machlne includes a mold which is provided with a fixed base or mainlower Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented uly 30, 1918.

ortion 10, preferably in the form of. a iea-vy casting which issupported on a horizontal table 11. In the present case, straps areadapted to be cast simultaneously on two sets of battery plates, namely,both the positwo and the negative plates of one battery. However, theaction or manner of operation with both sets is precisely the same.

The mold base 10 is therefore provided at the top thereof and onopposite sides of the transverse center plane with castin recesses ormolds proper 12, which are a apted to receive from above, the lower-endsof the plate terminals or lugs and are shaped in accordance with theshape of the part or parts to be cast onto the plates. In the pres entcase, each mold cavity when closed by I the movable top members,includes a part 12' Wl'llCh forms the strap, and a cylindrical shapedrecess 12" which extends downwardly into the mold base and forms theterminal post for the group of plates, which post is, of course,integral with the strap. The cavity for the post has laterally extendingwingsby which lateral wings are cast onto the post, and, as will later apear, a lip or flange is also cast onto the si e of the strap oppositethe terminal post.

he construction to which reference has just been made is shown in Fig.9.- In this figure the strap proper is indicated at 50, the

'body of the terminal member at, 51, the

wings extending from the bodyportion at 52, and the lip orflangeextending from the strap at 53. Comparing the structure of the finishedproduct with the mold for the same, as shown in Fig. l, the purpose ofthe various recesses of the mold will be apparent.

The two groups of battery plates to which the straps are to be cast aresupported in a rectangular shaped movable magazine in the form of aframe or rackwhich is above the mold. This rack includes abottom member13 provided with two separated groups of upstanding fingers 13' formingslots in which the battery plates are adapted to be inserted so as tostand vertically with the ,usual battery plate lugs arranged on one sideof the rack and extending downwardly directly above the mold cavity 12.The rack also includes two upright end members 13 and a swinging topmember or bar 13 which is pivoted to one end member 13? and is adaptedto swing upwardly from or down to the other end member, and to beclamped thereto by a swinging locking member 13. The top of the rack isprovided with downwardly extending fingers or teeth which are adapted toextend between the plates when the latter are in the rack. The teeth onthe upper and lower members of the rack hold the plates just the desireddistance apart, and when the upper member is swung downwardly andlocked, the plates are firmly clamped and are alined along what are thenthe top edges (but which are, in fact, the bottom edges) of the platesfor the reason that I provide on the lower member of the rack in linewith each of the slots a pair of rather stifi springs 13% onto which theplates are placed, and down onto which the plates are firmly pressed bythe upper member of the rack. This brings the lower edges of the plateswhich engage the upper bar of the rack in alinement, as is desirable inorder that the plates will bear evenly on the ribs at the bottom of abattery container.

The rack whichvis adapted to be raised and lowered is supported on theupper ends of two vertical rods 14 which pass freely through the moldbase 10 at one side of the mold cavities, and through the table 11. Atthe lower ends of the rods 14 is secured a horizontal plate 15 to whichis secured a member 15 provided with a roller 15*, which engages in thecam groove of a cam 16 fixed to a main operating rock shaft 17 which isbeneath the table, and is provided at one end with an operating crank orhandle 17*,

adapted to be grasped and turned by the operator to cause the loweringor raising of the rack and the closing and opening of the mold,.as willbe subsequently explained.

The upper part of the mold is formed by, and the mold cavities areclosed by, several members which are adapted to be moved in- Wardly andoutwardly or toward and from each other. More specifically, thesemembers consist of a front sliding plate 18, and a rear sliding late 19,which move on the top of the mold base 10 from the front and rear sides,and two endwise movable core members 20 which likewise move over the topof the mold base 10 in an endwise direction.

The plate 18 is provided on its forward edge with teeth or fingers 18which when the plate is moved inwardly pass between the lugs on thebattery plates,

and so not only'serveto close or cover a portion of the mold cavity, butassist in steadying the plates, and also serve to bring the lugs whichextend down into the mol cavity into exact alinement. This plate haswhich engage in separate cam spout or inlet port 21, which when theplate is moved inward to its normal position, bears against a centerstop member '22 which is between the two groups of battery plates whensupported in the rack. At the ends of the molds are so-called risers oroverflow spouts 21. i

Each of the endwise r'novable core members 20 moves inwardly toward thecenter member 22 and along the ends of the teeth of the plate 18, andbear against the end of the teeth and against the edges of the lugs ofthe battery plates. These members 20 extend between the two plates 18and 19, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5, and are provided with flangeswhich overlap somewhat the edge of the plate 19. Beneath this flange andbetween the adjacent edges of the plate 19 and core members 20 arecavities which form parts of the mold, and the metal which rises intothese openings forms lips or flanges on the lower sides of the straps.The plates 18 and 19 are moved inwardly and outwardly by mechanism, in-

are pivotally connected to the members 20,"

and at their lower'ends are provided with inwardly extending arms 26having rollers rooves of a cam 27 secured to the rock sha t.

The casting machine is operated in the following manner. Two sets ofplates are placed in the rack or magazine, after which the top member ofthe magazine is brought down into position so as to clamp the platesinto the magazine. Thence he rock shaft is turned by the operator, andthis turning movement first lowers the magazine with the plates,carrying the lugs of the two grou s of plates into the mold cavities.During tlie same. movement of the rock shaft, and after the magazine hasbeen lowered, the mold is closed by the inward movement of the plates 18and 19, and core members 20. These members close the mold and aline thelugs of the plate. By the inward movement of the plate 18, the. plate isbrought up against the member 22, and the metalis then ready to bepoured. The metal is poured into the gate and fills the mold cavities,casting onto each group of battery plates, a strap which unites theplates, also the terminal post and the lips previously referred to.Assoon as the metal has been poured and hardened, the operator p and isseated in a turns the rock shaft in the reverse direction, and thisopens the mold by moving.

outwardly the plates 18, 19 and core members 20, and raises the magazineand plates from the mold.

Preferably, the cavities which extend down into the mold to form theterminal posts pass entirely through the mold base, and the plate 15 isprovided with rods which extend up into the openings, so as toformclosures therefor. Consequently, after the metal has been poured, and itis desired to remove the plates with the parts cast thereto, these rodsassist in lifting the composite structure and minimize the liability ofthe more or less soft metal being distorted.

Additionally, I may employ other lifting members 30 which can be securedto the plate 15 and extended up through the mold base 10 so asto engageand assist in lifting the parts after the casting is done.

With this machine, battery plates can be very quickly and veryeffectively electrically connected by having a strap and also the otherparts, including the terminal post east thereto. At the same time, theplates are properly alined, so that they can be firmly and properlyseated in the base of a battery container.

In Figs. 1, 2 and. 3, the plate magazine is shown as permanentlyattached to the upper ends of the vertical rods or plungers 14. Theymay, however, if desired, be removably attached to the upper ends ofthese rods, so as to do away with the necesslty of the operator placingthe plates in the magazine on the machine.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is shown one way in which this may 'be accomplished.The magazine here designated 30 is adapted to be placed down onto theupper ends of two plungers here designated 31, the magaz ne having holesprovided in its base of a slze sufiiciently large to receive the upperends of the plungers, and the latter having shoulders a short distancefrom their upper ends so as to firmly support the magazme. Each of theplungers 31 is in this instance provided with an automatic locking dog32 which extends lensgthwise of the plunger,

ot provided therein, the dog being pivoted between its ends to theplunger at 33. The lower end. of the dog projects laterally from theplunger and extends through an opening 34 in the bedplate, and is soshaped that when the plunger is lowered, the dog is rocked; that is, theupper end 35 of the dog is moved to the left, as shown in Fig. 7, so'asto cause it to be moved into locking engagement with a suitable lockingl ifilprovided on the base of the magazine. e dogs W111 then securelylock the ma zine in place, while it is in lowered position. When theplungers and magazines are elevated, the dogs are automatically rockedout' of locking engagement with the ma zine, so that the magazine can belifted mm the plungers. This construction will avoid some loss of timein the use of the machine, for the reason that 70 I claim is:

1. In a machine for casting straps to 0 groups of battery plates, a moldcomprising a base having a cavity in which metal is to be poured, meansfor supporting a plurality of battery plates in spaced relationship andso that closing the mold comprising a plurality of members movabletoward and from each other, one of the members being provided with teethwhich extend between the portions of the battery plates extending intothe cavity.

V 2. In a machine for casting straps to groups of battery plates, a moldcomprising a base having a cavity in which metal is to be poured, meansfor supporting a plurality of battery plates in spaced relationship andso that portionsof the plates will extend into the cavity, means forclosing the mold' comprising a movable toward and from each other, andan endwise movable member movable between said pair of members.

3. In a machine for casting straps to groups of battery plates, a molding a base having a cavity in which metal .1s adapted to be poured, amagazine for a group of battery plates adapted to be moved toward andfrom the mold cavity, means for closing of members movable. toward andfrom each other, and means operable from a single point for shifting themagazine and for operating the mold closing means.

4. In a machine for casting straps to groups of battery plates, a moldhaving a cavity in which metal is adapted to be poured, aholder adaptedto receive a group of plates so thatportions thereof may be extendedinto the cavity, said magazine having yieldable means engaged by theplates along one ed and a clam for holding the plates against saidyielda le means.

5. In a machine for casting straps to groups of battery plates, cavityin which metal is adapted to be poured and adapted to receive portionsof the plates to which the strap is to be cast,

the operator has simply 75 portions of the plates 85 will extend intothe cavity, means for pair of -members 100 compris- 106 the moldcomprising a plurality 1110 a mold having a a holder for supporting theplates in spaced my signature in the presence of two witrelationship andin alinement, said holder nesses.

having along its base, yieldable plate engag- ERNEST DISINGER. ing meansand having at the top a movable Witnesses: 5 plate clamping member. L.I. PORTER,

In testlmony whereof, I herennto aflix A. F. KWIS.

